European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 18, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Harriers in the a new Way to Fly Marine corps harrier hovering on columns of thrust exhaust i by Mike Spear staff writer Marine corps harrier Squadron has just concluded a six month duty tour in the Mediterranean and its performance could Well Mark the first step in the eventual demise of the navys big car it was the first time in naval history that a Squadron of take off and Landing aircraft operated aboard a Large aircraft Carrier As an integral part of the Carrier the Marine attack so More commonly known As the Ace of Spades Squadron from Cherry flew As part of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Carrier air Wing 19 along with f4 phantoms and a7s and by All accounts the integration went off without a skipper of the to a their performance has been but you  help noticing that there was a certain amount of irony to Here were the first of the giant the kind of planes that May put the Large carriers out of working Well aboard one of the thing that holding air Craft Back is Lack of enough current technology to meet All the requirements of the aircraft dont need big they dont need catapults or arresting they can land on any ship that has a helicopter it is smaller aircraft carriers that Congress had its Eye on in March when it gave final approval to president car ters rejection of plans for a fourth nuclear powered Nimitz class at the time the Senate appropriations committee noted testimony by defense Secretary Harold Brown that the administration plans to request funds for a nonnuclear aircraft Carrier in fiscal 1979 and a second one in the five year defense the committee urged the Pentagon to move As rapidly As possible on the new Carrier and on a program for a Short Takeoff plane to equip but the Type of plane that May change the complexion of the Carrier Navy is currently one of the pet projects of the Marine the Navy is mostly an the Marine corps has a history of aviation in the late 1940s the Marine corps figured out How Heli copters could be used to Best effect in amphibious land Ings and by the Early 1950s it had expertly developed the principle of vertical then in the 1960s it started looking at the Al weather the or av8a As the marines have designated is a first generation aircraft and vice Harry train commander of the 6th Fleet Calls it a really Stone age Type one of the things were looking at a very accelerated Pace is the follow on technology to the harrier to find out if there is a Airframe that will fill our needs so that we can Stop building expensive aircraft carriers and instead build smaller train but the harrier is certainly not that it is very limited in in payload and Doest really give Yon sufficient capability to replace the aircraft that we now if we can Ever make that breakthrough then Well have a wide Range of options of ships to carry them rear William Clifford commander of attack Carrier striking group said aboard the for that 20 to 30 years of technology should give the Navy tremendous if you look at it in that regard it can mean major changes in Carrier aviation in the years to but Cor photos by Perkins mainly its not going to come he train is Quick to Point out that the use of the harrier Squadron is not an the Squadron was Avail there was a need for so it was called he they the marines constitute part of my tactical air capability in the med that would otherwise have been he their role is to be and attack aircraft in lieu of the a7s and a4s that i would nor Mally have Over John harrier Squadron says the government cant afford to set up experiments involving a Squadron at were Here As a integral part of the Carrier air he even if the harriers Are first generation and have a Long Way to go they Are nevertheless impressive in just about everything they As a Squadron aboard the Carrier they probably function with As much ease and probably More than most and for Good besides needing no arresting gear for landings and catapults Lor they have self starters for their they can taxi unassisted to their parking places on the flight deck and they can even Back into parking position without external the sight of one coming in for a Landing us approach Speed gradually slowing until it to Stop in a hover Between 35 and so Ted Over toe fat Cut supported on Vert Cle exhaust then slowly eases Down to the deck one Wandw if its a Jet plane after All or maybe really a be copt or in we can do just about anything a helicopter can Andy a harrier harrier has the Power of the the Maneule ability of the a4 and the flexibility of a Given the Choice of those id choose the harrier Over Boquet knows what Hes talking he has flown All its a different Way to he it has the advantages of a helicopter and therefore is easier to you can operate it off and from the four rotating nozzles distribute the thrust Page 14 the stars and stripes harrier pilots briefing a sort of i